Sunpak Super 383 Flash by SUNPAK
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Digital camera reviews of Sunpak Super 383 Flash
Digital camera Review: Great Affordable Flash
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a Panasonic Lumix FZ50 digital camera and, when I use the wide angle extension on my lens, I can't use the intrnal flash (the lens casts a shadow). So, I began shopping for a flash. I was shocked when I saw the prices of the Panasonic flashes for this camera ($300 and $500). After searching the Internet, I found the Sunpack 383 flash. I was a little nervous buying it. I worried it might not sync well or have some defect since the price was so much lower. Well, I received the flash, slipped it onto my camera's hot shoe, and it works beautifully. No glitches and the results are great. I particularily like the 3 automatic settings -- maximum distance, intermediate distance and maximum depth of field. It also has a great bounce flash head that can be pointed in any direction. Reference marks give the exact angle of the bounce. I'm very happy with this purchased and thrilled that I saved quite a bit of money.Digital camera Review: Great Flash Unit
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this flash unit for my Fuji Finepix 602. Unfortunately, for digital camera owners, this flash will make your rig a little "top heavy". However, if you want a decent flash unit, get used to it.
Nice thing about using an external flash is it has its own batteries, so your batteries in your camera will last longer. Also, the viewfinder doesn't "black out" while the flash is recharging (which is good).
I use this flash in auto mode, and as a "fill flash".
For fill flash, I just use my normal exposure settings on the camera, and put the flash on manual and either 1/16 power or 1/8 power (essentially adding one or two stops of light into the scene). The fill flash brings the subject out away from the background and gives the picture a nice contrasty look.
If its fairly dark, I just use the Auto setting. Basically, you can choose three apertures depending on the ISO setting your using. The Flash sync speed is 1/1000th of a second, so I just set my camera to manual, and set the speed to 1/1000. Then, depending on your ISO setting, the back of the flash will recommend which F stop to use, and how far the light will throw.
I usually use 1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, which gives me about 60 feet of coverage. I can also use the F5.6 setting for medium distance settings, and F11 setting for "intimate" flash settings where the subject is close.
All in all, this is a very usable flash at a very reasonable price. I get about 80 shots out of a set of four NimH 2300mah rechargeables before the flash starts losing power a little, however I have taken well over 130 shots out of this flash using one set and still got some juice out of it.
The flash has a swiveling head which is cool for "bouncing". You can point the flash at the ceiling, set it on manual, the work out the right power to light the room. Bounced flash looks so cool, like a magazine picture.
I'm giving you, the potential flash buyer, lots of info about how to use this flash. Although the manual is pretty good with the product, it really doesn't do justice to the complexity of understanding light, exposure, and how flash fits into the picture (mind the pun).
Probably why so many people avoid using a flash, when it is really an invaluable tool.
Take your photography to the next level and get the Sunpak, its short money for the difference it will make in your photography.
Digital camera Review: Great Flash.....
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this 383Super on Amazon and could not be more happy with the result, my Fujifilm S9100 built in flash was a joke, tried a Quantaray QB-350A w/c yielded some good pictures but ended up returning it due to being "underpowered"(still a much better one than the S9100's)The 383Super is just a dream flash! as long as you follow the recomended setting, you'll be amazed by the beautiful and sharp pictures it will provide. Buy it, you won't be sorry, just a note; it's a little heavy though...Digital camera Review: Great all around flash
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my first external flash, mainly used with my Canon 350D (About 1/250 max sync speed). After reading around the photography forums, I was between this and the Vivitar 285. The Canon line of flashes were way beyond what my budget was set for, and quite honestly, I was looking to learn and use the flash manually, which meant I would not be taking advantage of the TTL technology as often. The 383 offered light output comperable to the 580EX at a fraction of the price, and offered 3 automatic modes if I chose to be lazy about metering and test shooting. As others have mentioned, the automatic exposure modes are typically accurate, and perform exactly as you'd like whether you use it as direct flash, bounce, or for fill (Although using it as fill flash when your subject is backlit may be tricky for the sensor).
I chose this flash over the Vivitar, as I found the swivel head would be much more useful than the zoom, which is still very true today. Like other have mentioned, the battery consumption is about or above "average" (a set of batteries will last you an evening out with friends, but will not last a serious photo shoot), I shoot with the flash occasionally, and seldom need to recharge the batteries. The recycle time, although highly dependant on battery type, is realistically very usable, but occasionally slows me down, which is honestly helpful in promoting me to carefully frame the shot first before pressing the button as a side benefit (a quality over quantity thing).
After becoming familiar with using the external flash and becoming familiar with the controls and exposure, I ordered a set of wireless triggers off ebay. Use of the strobe (a flash not mounted to the camera body) has opened up new horizons for me, and has become a whole other tool. The Sunpak 383 is a great budget flash with high output that has been able to fill my needs for the past year. I will be picking up another Sunpak 383 soon to compose more complex lighting setups. It is incredible to be able to do all of this with less money than I would have spent on a single 480ex Speedlite (which has lower light output). Of course different users will have different needs, but as an amatuer, this will be able to fit the bill for the next couple of years to say the least.
However, I do have 2 small complaints about the Sunpak 383:
1) The back label with the settings/instructions on the flash has delaminated, and started to look like it is "bubbling up", this is such an insignificant thing considering the price and functionality. You wont get "space age" anything with this, just so you know what to expect.
2) The external trigger port is a miniplug jack that I've heard is proprietary to Sunpak, it is just slightly different enough from the universal size for it not to work with radio shack parts. This became an issue when there was a short somewhere in the supplied wire, and wouldn't fire when using the wireless triggers. I have to Mcguiver and solder something to make it work with the wireless triggers again.
All in all, this was a great buy for me, and would recommend this products to others.
Digital camera Review: Great flash Unit
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this flash for my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 and it's a great little flash. You have extensive control over the amount of flash that it provides. You can ramp up for a large room or tone it down for a closer shot.
It can swivel both vertically and horizontally. Bouncing the flash off the ceiling gives you a more natural fill, without the hard shadows and "red eye" effects. You need the horizontally swivel if you want to rotate your camera to the portrait orientation and want to bounce the flash off the ceiling.
It takes 4 AA batteries and I get about 80 shots from a set of rechargables. I use the Sanyo Eneloop NiMH batteries, which comes as an 8 pack. That way I always have a set ready to go, while the other 4 are charging.
I would recommend getting the Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce for the Sunpak 383, it does a great job of diffusing the flash when you have to aim the flash head on. You'll get a much nicer picture when the light has been diffused a bit.